The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-07-09
THE WOLF.

Monsieur D'Arvillc must have re-
pcatcd the story often, Tor he related
it llucntly, never hcsitating over
words skilllully chosen for pictw-
csquc effect.
Gentlemen. hc said, never hunt
ed in my life. nor my father nor my
grandfather, nor even my great
grandfather. But my great-gHnd-
father WAS the son of man who
hunted more than all Of you put To-
gcthrr. He died in 1864. ! am 90
ing to tell You how.
Ills name was Jean; he was mar
ricd father of the child destined to
heconc my ancestor. and he lived
with his younger brother, Francois
D,Arvillc, in our old chateau i'll
lorraine, which was situated in the
forest.
Francois D'Arvillc had remained
bachelor for pure love of hunting
Both ol them used to 90 hunting
together; they hunted from one
years end to the other, without rest,
without 81 pause, without ever get
ting tired. That was all they liked,
all they understood, all they talked
about, all the lived for.
II was passion with both Of
thcm--tcrriblr, ineXorablc. 1t con-
sumcd them, filled their entire being
left no place for anything else,
They had given orders that they
were never To be interrupted while
hunting, under amy pretcXt what
ever My ancestor was borne while
his father was chasing fox, and
Jean never thought Of stopping the
hunt ON receiving the news. He
only sworc: Nom d un nonll the
little rascal might very well have
waited till after the DEATH
Ills brother Francois was still
more furious hunter. As soon ms
he got up of Il morning he would go
to look after the dogs and horses;
then he would shoot birds around
the chateau until time came to start
on Il chase for bigger game.
The country people used to call
them the Marquis aud the Junior.
Both were extraordinarily tall, bony,
hairy, violent and strong. The
younger who was sti taller than
his brother, had Il voice so power
ful that, according to popular say
ing which he was proud to hear re-
pcatcd, all the leaves of the forest
trcmblcd when he shouted.
And when they started off ON
horseback for the chase together it
must have been fine sight to see
the two giants hcstraddling their
great horses.
Now. about the middle Of the
winter Of 17G4 the cold became cX-
ccssivc and the wolves grew tcro-
cious.
They would attack peasants going
home late; they prowlcd around the
houses during the night, howlcd
from sunset 10 sunrise. and dcpop-
ulatcd the stables.
And after n time Il very ugly
rumor began to spread. 1t was
said that a colossal gray wolf, which
had eaten two children. devoWed
Il woman's arm, stranglcd all the
watchdogs of the country showed
no fear of entering enclosures and
regularly went about at night smell
ing under the doors. All the country
people declared that they had felt
his breath that ii made the lights
flicker And Il panic seized upon
the whole province. No one dared
venture out after dark. All the
shadows seemed haunted hv the
image of the beast.
The D'Awille brothers resolved
to find him and kill him, and they
invited all the gentlemen Of the
country to great hunt.
1t was all in vain They secured
all the forests, searched all the
thickcts without avail: they could
never find him. They killedplcnty
of wolves. but not that particular
wolf Ard each night regularly,
after the hunt, the animal would at
tack some hclatcd traveller or devour
some animal-as if Just to avengc
himself and this always at quite Il
distance from where the last hunt
had taken place
At last one night he got into the
pig sites at the Chateau dAwillc
and dcvoured the two finest pigs.
The brothers became full Of rage
considering this attack as an open
defiance ON the monsters part. They
got all their largest and best trained
hounds together and went To tho
chase in great fury.